Engaging overview with first-person accounts of Americas most infamous duel

The Broadway sensation Hamilton has sparked renewed interest in the historical figures of Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. This closely annotated thread of documents provides a riveting account of the lead-up to and aftermath of their disastrous duel. From the summer of 1804, we have the fiery correspondence between Hamilton and Burr, notes and accounts from their seconds-in-command, and other documents that provide an immediate sense of the personalities and times. The introduction and conclusion provide a concise and informative perspective on the parallel lives of Hamilton and Burr and of the duel’s lasting impacts on American history. This is the perfect summary of the events that inspired the hit musical—a great resource for teachers and students and the perfect gift for history buffs.

Nathaniel Pendleton’s Statement of the Regulations for the Duel Between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr
[New York, July 10, 1804]

1. The parties will leave town tomorrow morning about five o’ clock, and meet at the place agreed on. The party arriving first shall wait for the other.
2. The weapons shall be pistols not exceeding Eleven inches in the barrel. The distance ten paces.
3. The Choice of positions to be determined by lot.
4. The parties having taken their positions one of the seconds to be determined by lot (after having ascertained that both parties are ready) shall loudly and distinctly give the word “present”—If one of the parties fires, and the other hath not fired, the opposite second shall say one, two, three, fire, and he shall then fire or lose his shot. A snap or flash is a fire.

Monday
11 July 1804

HAROLD C. SYRETT(1913 1984) was president of Brooklyn College, professor of American history at Columbia University and executive editor of the 26-volume Papers of Alexander Hamilton.JEAN G. COOKE is assistant editor of the multi-volume Papers of Alexander Hamilton. WILLARD M. WALLACE(1911 2000) was an American historian who taught at Wesleyan University from 1945 to 1981. His numerous books include Soul of the Lion and Connecticut’s Dark Star of the Revolution.